Are You Trying To ‘Be Somebody?’
By Ryan M. Roberts
“…be ready for the Master’s use.” — 2 Timothy 2:21 NLT
Most men spend their lives trying to become something—stronger, better, more capable. But what God is looking for is something else: a man who is ready.
I learned that long before I had language for it.
Growing up, I spent precious hours alongside my grandad on the farm. We worked on fences and lawn mowers, tractors and swathers, plows and hay balers—sometimes cars, sometimes things that had no business running again but somehow did. The shop was a sacred place to me, with drawers full of tools, pegboards lined with wrenches, and shelves holding things I didn’t yet understand.
And every now and then, my grandad—elbows deep in grease, right in the middle of his work—would pause, look up, and say, “Go grab me the…”
Not just any tool. The right one.
I’d head to the shop with purpose. I wanted to find it quickly and bring him exactly what he needed, because being trusted with the right tool meant being part of the work. There was something in that—a boyish joy, a quiet pride. To be wanted. To be needed. To be useful in the hands of someone you respect.
The desire never really leaves us.
Over the years, I’ve felt it in other ways—when someone says, “You were the right person at the right time,” or when you realize you were placed, by God, in a moment where your presence mattered. That is honorable use. Not being impressive. Not being flawless. But being trusted—and ready.
The apostle Paul puts it this way:
“If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.” — 2 Timothy 2:21 NLT
In a large house, Paul says, there are all kinds of vessels—some for honorable use, others for common use. The difference isn’t appearance; it’s whether the vessel is clean. And if it is, God will use you.
Purity is not about perfection. It is about being ready—a life no longer divided.
A man who guards his heart, pays attention to his habits, and refuses both devotion and compromise in the same life. This is not about earning something from God. It’s about being ready for what He wants to do.
He is at work—building, repairing, restoring—and He chooses to do that work through people… through men who are ready.
So, the question is simple:
Am I a man God can use—ready and available?
Prayer
Father, show me what is dividing my life. Give me courage to deal with it and strength to walk clean before You. Make me ready in Your hands. Amen.
The above content is an excerpt from Ryan M. Roberts’ 52-week devotional for men who want to walk with Jesus and live the life He came to give. Be Ready: A Man God Can Use is available now online. Also, you can meet Roberts and get a signed copy of his book at the Treasure Valley Men’s Conference in Idaho on August 29, 2026.
Ryan M. Roberts serves as a pastor at Eagle Nazarene Church in Eagle, Idaho, where he teaches, preaches, prays, and walks alongside others in their journey with Jesus. With more than three decades of ministry and education experience, Ryan’s passion is simple: helping people hear and respond to the gentle voice of Jesus in the ordinary moments of life.